14th August, 1945
Evelyn was coming out of the bathroom when a familiar voice shouted her name. Her surprised frown quickly turned into an expression of elation when she allowed herself a minute to take in Buck Compton. He looked a darned sight better than the last time she had seen him. His blue eyes were once again alive with that infectious twinkle and his very being was radiating happiness and warmth. The old Buck looked to be well and truly back and she couldn't have been happier about it.
"Well, look what the cat dragged in."
"Nice to see you again too, Corporal Guarnere," Buck grinned. "Sorry, I mean Sergeant Liebgott. I can't lie, I was somewhat devastated to find out you'd gone and married someone else while I was gone."
"Well, I couldn't hang around waiting forever for you, Buck," she teased, her heart soaring at just how much better he seemed to be. "You look real good, Buck. You look…"
"I know," he winked, pulling her in for a hug, holding her to him tightly and resting his cheek on top of her head. "I feel it too."
"We missed you around here," Evelyn told him when he pulled back to look at her.
"You were too busy to miss me," he joked, lifting her hand and eyeing her wedding ring. "That husband of yours better get you the most extravagant diamond when we get home because that's pitiful."
"Hey," she smacked his arm. "I love it, thank you very much. I don't want him to spend money on a diamond when he can just buy me a nice big house instead."
"Good to see you've got your priorities right," Buck laughed, his face growing serious for a moment before he spoke again. "I saw Don a few days ago on his way to Paris and he, uh, he told me about what happened to you and Liebgott. About the, uh-"
"Baby?" she finished for him, forcing herself to smile. "It's alright, you can say it, Buck. I won't crumble to the floor in a blubbering mess or anything. It was shit, still is, but we'll get through it. We can get through anything with you guys, right?"
"Hate to break up the love fest here but we're starting up a game of baseball," Welsh popped his head around the doorframe.
"We are?" Evelyn frowned.
"Well, the rest of them are. You can watch with me and Lipton or whoever because we all know your aim is shit," Welsh smirked.
"That's not a nice way to talk about Buck when he's just come back," Evelyn tutted.
"Idiot," Harry rolled his eyes.
"Won't be calling me that when I score the winning touchdown for whichever team I'm on," Evelyn made for the door and stepped out into the open air just as Buck and Welsh eyed each other with laughing eyes.
"She's definitely not going on my team," Buck muttered.
… … …
As it turned out, Evelyn was on nobody's team seeing as they didn't want her. Even her own husband had risked her wrath by declaring out loud in front of all of their friends that he didn't want her on his team. Babe had completely avoided so much as looking at her when she tried to look to him for support. So in the end, Speirs had taken pity on her and let her sit with him; solely on the condition that she didn't complain about being left out.
"...And Gene, he just shrugged at me."
"I'm aware, I saw," Speirs muttered.
"I'm not a fan of this new attitude he's developed," Evelyn continued, oblivious to Speirs clenched jaw and glare. "Especially not because he-"
"Are you still complaining about not being allowed to play?" Nixon appeared with Winters by his side, the pair of them looking unusually suave.
"Who told you I wasn't allowed to play? You've literally just got here," Evelyn frowned.
"I'm the intelligence officer," Nix winked. "And as much as I'd love to listen to you whining about this for as long as Ron's been listening, we need everyone's attention."
"Easy Company! School circle," Speirs called them to attention immediately, pushing Evelyn off of the bonnet of the jeep and smirking when she scowled before taking her place with the other men.
Standing in between Gene and Liebgott, doing her best to silently remind the pair of them that she was annoyed with them, she folded her arms across her chest and waited for Winters to make his announcement. No doubt it would be to inform them of some more training or maybe the time had come to finally head over to the Pacific.
What came out of his mouth was nothing she could have been prepared for.
"This morning, President Truman received the unconditional surrender from the Japanese. War's over."
The silence was deafening as they all tried to digest what they were hearing. After almost three years of nothing but training and war, it was all over. They were going home.
It almost sounded too good to be true but the look on Winters face assured her that it was most definitely true. It was really done. No more fighting; no more losing friends. Finally it was time for peace and it was time to live the lives that had been put on hold.
Turning to look at Joe, she didn't have it inside of her to be angry with him, or any of the others anymore. Taking in all of their faces; the shock, the awe, the happiness, she couldn't explain the feelings that washed over her.
Evelyn screeched when Joe hoisted her up without warning until she had to wrap her arms and legs around him so as not to fall. Their friends cheered when Joe kissed Evelyn soundly, not holding back anything. They kissed away years of homesickness and pain, death and anguish. They kissed for the past, the present and the future. The future they had been waiting for and the future they deserved.
"We made it, babe," Joe brushed his nose against hers as she set her back gently onto her feet, his hands holding her face as he peered into her eyes. "And what a fucking ride it's been."
"I know," she whispered, the depth of emotion in his gaze making it almost difficult for her to breathe. "I love you so much."
"Not as much as I love you," he croaked. "Only good thing to coming out of this fucking war was finding you."
"And me I hope," Luz appeared next to them with a grin.
"Fine, finding a wife and you, Luz, in fact all of you is the only good thing to come out of this war," Liebgott smirked before pulling George in for a hug.
When the rest of the men took their turn hugging Liebgott or shaking his head, George took the opportunity to have a moment with Evelyn.
"Evelina Peccorina," his voice was gravelly. "My best girl."
"I'm your only girl," she laughed.
"Until we get home," he winked, pulling her against him and squeezing her hard. "You better not forget about me when we get back to the States, alright? 'Cause you're my best friend in the whole world and I don't know how I'm gonna live a day anymore without seeing you."
"Doesn't matter where we are, Georgie," she swallowed the lump in her throat. "We'll always be best friends. I promise."
Tears filling his usually cheerful eyes, George kissed the top of her head and choked back a sob of his own.
They were finally going home.
… … …
21st September, 1945
As it turned out, home had to wait a little while longer.
"I swear to god, when we make it back to Aldbourne let's just buy a house there and settle down," Joe said as they lay in bed watching the early morning rays dancing through the thin curtains. "I'm done with being nomads now."
"We'll be home soon enough," Evelyn grinned lazily, Joe's fingers running up and down her bare back making her feel sleepy. "But settling down in Aldbourne doesn't sound all that bad to me. We won't have to face our families and we won't have to think about whose family we're gonna upset by living in the other's city."
"I thought we were gonna live in San Francisco?"Joe looked down at her.
Evelyn chewed her lip nervously, wondering how best to broach the subject with Joe. Over the last couple of months he had been talking about all of the things he was going to show her and all of the places their children, when they eventually had them, would grow up. He had told her about the sunday dinners they'd have with his parents and maybe the occasional one during the week, but that he wouldn't let his mother or his siblings force themselves onto her too much. Not at least while she was getting used to them anyway.
She knew that during his excited ramblings she should have stopped him and she should have told him how she felt. The problem was that she was too cowardly to do so; too afraid to ruin the (mostly) happy bubble they had found themselves in while they waited to go back to England then home.
"Your silence says a lot," Joe murmured.
"I'm sorry," she sat up, clasping the thin sheet to her chest and running hand through her messy hair. "I'm worried, ok?"
"About moving to Frisco?"
"And other things," she admitted.
"Were you ever gonna tell me?"
"Obviously," she rolled her eyes. "I was just waiting for the right time. Which I guess is probably now?"
"I'd say so, yeah," Liebgott smirked.
Taking a deep breath, Evelyn tried to think of how to word it so as not to overwhelm Joe. There was so much she wanted to say and she wanted to say it in a way that would ensure it wouldn't become an argument. Instead, what came out was a rambling mess of words.
"I know I said I was fine moving to San Francisco and that's because I thought I was but now I think that I'm gonna miss my family but then I know I can't ask you to move to Philly because you have your job and your family in San Francisco so it only makes sense for us to be in there and then what about when we have children and I'm on my own without my family and I'm sure your family is amazing but it's not the same and then what if when we get back to the States and we're this married couple arguing about bills and chores and then you realise you don't wanna be with me anymore and you meet someone else and I just-"
"Ok, whoa, time out," Joe stopped her. "Baby, you need to come up for air. So you do that while I answer a few of your concerns, alright? First of all, let me tell you that under no circumstance will I ever meet someone else. Doesn't matter how many arguments we have or how many things we face back home, I am never gonna wanna meet anyone else. Why would I? I'm head over fucking heels for you and I don't think bills and chores and all that other shit can break us if the things we've been through in this war haven't.
Secondly, Ev, I didn't realise quite how uncomfortable you were about moving to Frisco with me and I really wish you'd have told me sooner. If staying in Philly is so important to you then we'll make it work. I can get a new job and we can visit my folks a few times a year and-"
"No," she shook her head. "I can't let you do that."
"Well, what do we do then?" he asked.
"I don't know," Evelyn groaned, flinging herself back against the pillow and throwing her arm over her face. "What a fucking mess."
"You can say that again," Joe muttered. "But we can figure it out, babe. I know we can."
Evelyn hoped so. She really did. But before she could contemplate on that any further, she let out a gasp when Joe dived beneath the bedsheet and pushed open her legs, lying in between them and placing small kisses on the inside of her thigh, moving up and up until he reached her naked centre.
Threading her fingers through Joe's thick hair as his tongue coaxed out her wetness, Evelyn threw her head back when his fingers slid inside of her, curling and teasing as his full lips sucked and nipped.
"Joe," she whined, tugging at his hair and wriggling her hips trying to chase the release that was already building inside of her. "Please."
Grinning, Joe waited until she was right on the precipice for pulling away from her and kissing his way up her body until his lips met with hers. Tongue mingling with hers, Joe pushed himself inside of her with an agonising slowness as his hands traced the length of her body; cupping her breasts, teasing her nipples, carding through her hair, gripping at her hips.
Forehead pressed to hers, his pelvis ground against Evelyn's as her hands reached around and gripped at his butt cheeks, feeling the muscles flex beneath her hands every time he thrust slowly and gently and then hard and fast. Wrapping one leg around his hip, she urged him to go even harder, kissed him desperately as he tilted her hips up and his every movement caused a ripple of pleasure to go through her until she was crying out and panting through her release; her fingernails leaving red scratches on his back and her mouth suckling at his neck, marking him and not caring that she was doing so for everyone to see.
"We've gotta remember a fucking condom," Joe growled, suddenly pulling out and climbing up onto his knees, pumping his length furiously as his hands pinched at Evelyn's nipples and chased his own release.
Sitting up, Evelyn pushed his hand away and took him into her mouth, circling his tip with her tongue and squeezing his balls gently while she wrapped her hand around his base. Joe swept her hair up into his hands, pulling it back so he could watch her cheeks hollowing as she took him deeper.
"Ev, fuck, I'm gonna-"
Evelyn shook her head when Joe tried to lift her off of him and instead gripped him harder, twisting her hand around his base as he spilled inside of her mouth in hot jets that she swallowed without hesitation.
"Where has my sweet little Ev gone?" Joe laughed afterwards when they were lying wrapped up in each other's arms once more, allowing themselves more time to be alone before they got up and started their day.
"What can I say?" she shrugged. "I've been paying attention to your lessons in the bedroom."
"Oh babe," Joe snorted. "You wait until I get you home to our own place where there ain't guys sleeping in rooms all around us and then the lessons'll really begin."
"Trust me, guys, none of us are getting any fucking sleep!" came Perconte's voice through the wall. "Not with you two next door anyway!"
Evelyn blushed furiously, burying herself into Joe's chest and wondering how she was going to face the guys, and specifically Frank, ever again. Joe, it seemed, held no such fear.
Pulling Evelyn away from his chest he rolled her onto her front and lined himself up behind her, slapping her ass loudly and biting down on her neck.
"Let's give them round two."
… … …
Evelyn was going to miss this when they left Austria. She was going to miss this beautiful view and the fresh, clean air. She was going to miss long walks around the lake and most of all she was going to miss her friends. However, there was so much to look forward to when she got home as well.
She had received another letter from Bill and although he was still unhappy about her marriage to Joe, the tone of this letter was a lot calmer than the last and she could tell that he was slowly accepting the news. And it seemed that Bill had some exciting news of his own as well.
Dear Evie,
You know it feels odd to call you that because nowadays I'm struggling to think of you as my little Evie. You're a grown woman now and I think I might have only just started to get to grips with that. That little girl who used to sneak into my bed with a handful of cookies so we could watch lightning storms together is now married and will soon be back home after far too fucking long away from it.
My little Evie is a grown woman and she's soon gonna be having little ones of her own. I aint sure how I feel about them little ones having Liebgott as a fucking father but as my own wife has reminded me, and as you would if you were here, you're old enough and ugly enough to do what you want. Including marrying that dumbass. Also, I want you to do some living before you have little ones. Go to college or work or travel or whatever the fuck you want, but have some fun first, ok? And if Liebgott has an issue with that then he can talk to me about it and I'll set him straight.
That being said, when you get back here I promise to try and not give him too much grief. Although I can't promise to stop the rest of the family from doing so. Mom is slowly accepting the idea; I think mostly because Clara has convinced her that it's the most romantic story in the fucking world (didn't matter that I told them all there aint nothing romantic about Joseph Liebgott) and that they can plan a big wedding party for when you guys get home. To be honest, I kinda feel sorry for you with all that 'cause Frannie and I got away mildly compared to what mom's planning for you. Nah, scrap that; I don't feel sorry for you. You must definitely deserve it.
Anyway, I gotta wrap up this letter now cause I need to get this in the mail but I wanted to end on a happy note. You're gonna be an aunty. Frannie's expecting. And yes, smartass, she's expecting a baby. Can you believe it? I'm gonna be a fucking father. Needless to say mom's ecstatic, and between my news and planning your wedding party she's happy as a pig in shit.
Hurry home, kiddo. I miss you. We all miss you. And I won't even tell you off for marrying Liebgott if it means I get to see your face and squeeze you to death. Feels like a lifetime ago since I last saw and you know what? Life has changed for both of us so that makes sense, don't it?
Love you, Ev.
Bill.
Evelyn smiled. Bill was going to be a father. She thought it might have hurt a little to hear that but surprisingly the feeling was little more than a tiny niggle. Instead, all she felt was happiness for her brother and excitement that she would be home to meet her nephew or niece.
"When you smile like that it makes me feel like I should be afraid."
Evelyn rolled her eyes when Harry Welsh sat down on the log beside her. This was one of her favourite spots, sitting and looking out over the lake while hidden beneath the cover of the trees.
"And when you grin like that it always makes me wonder just what Kitty Grogan sees in you," she retorted playfully.
"Aside from my good looks and great personality? Yeah, I wonder that too," Welsh smirked. "When you come to our wedding you can ask her."
"When? You really think she's waiting around for you, Harry?"
"A man can dream," he laughed. "God, it feels like too long since I've seen her."
"It has been too long."
"Do you ever think about that night in Bastogne?" Harry asked suddenly. When Smokey was… when he asked you to-"
"Kill him?" she answered for him.
"Yeah, that," Harry nodded, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed uncomfortably.
Evelyn closed her eyes for a moment as the memory of Smokey's tears and the desperate anguish in his voice washed over her. She tried her hardest not to think of the people they had lost, and the friends who had injuries that had changed their lives forever (aside from Bill who never left her mind). She tried not to think about what she had seen and what she had done. She tried to pretend that her hands wouldn't be forever covered in the blood of her friends; that no amount of washing them would make it fade from her sight.
"I try not to," her voice was quieter than she wanted it to be, and the look of understanding Harry gave her almost broke her. "Then sometimes I wonder if I did the right thing. Should I have condemned him to a life where he can't do anything for himself? A life where he's alive but not really living, you know?"
"It was condemn him or condemn yourself," Harry sighed. "For what it's worth I think you did the right thing, too."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah," Harry put a hand on her knee and smiled sadly. "Can't say the same thing about you marrying Liebgott though. Broke a whole company of men's hearts."
Evelyn laughed as the sad tension was broken in an instant, and she nudged Harry playfully.
"Even your heart, Harry?" she teased.
"You wish," he chuckled as Major Winters approached them. "Think you definitely broke the good Major's heart though."
"Do I wanna know what you two are talking about?" Winters narrowed his eyes playfully.
"Just talking about what a heartbreaker this one is," Harry stood up and dusted off his trousers. "I'm off to find some more trouble."
"Shouldn't be too difficult for you," Winters muttered as he took Welsh's place on the fallen log.
Without a word, he set a brown envelope on Evelyn's lap and watched her open it with a curious frown. He smiled when he saw the look of realisation dawn upon her face as she pulled out a stack of photographs; the first one being one of her and Joe on their rather unorthodox wedding day.
"I thought these would make a good, although somewhat belated, wedding present," Winters explained, as she began to thumb through the photographs one by one. "And a belated birthday present too, I suppose."
There was one of her and Joe training back in Toccoa; they're smiling at eachother and Bill is in the background scowling. There was another of George piggybacking her to the mess hall with Liebgott glaring at him in the periphery. A photograph of her and Malarkey dancing at their passing out party; one of Buck teaching her to play darts; one of Joe and Skinny throwing chocolate which she caught in her mouth much to their delight. There were so many photos; so many memories, a lot of it feeling like a lifetime ago.
"I didn't even know most of these were being taken," Evelyn murmured, huffing out a laugh at the next photo which was of her, Bill and Babe back in Eindhoven. Back before Bastogne when Bill was still whole and when they weren't as broken and scarred from what would come.
"I believe it was at General Taylor's request. He wanted there to be plenty of evidence regarding the US Army's first female combat medic and paratrooper," Winters said, breathing out a laugh of his own at the photo of Evelyn being reprimanded by Captain Sobel. "Quite the journey you've had, Sergeant."
"Quite the journey we've all had, Sir," she looked at him, taking in his kind eyes and feeling like this was their goodbye of sorts.
After all, Winters was staying back in Austria even after the rest of them headed back to Aldbourne in a few days. He had been a good leader; the best in fact and she felt honoured to have served with him. She doubted that as many of them would have survived if they hadn't had Winters leading their way. When she told him as such he blushed, a humble smirk gracing his face and he shook his head.
"The honour was mine," his eyes looked almost glassy and his lips were tilted up to one side in that trademark smile of his. "To serve not just with you but with every member of Easy Company. Not that I should have a favourite, but Easy will always hold a place in my heart, and therefore everyone who has served in it will too."
"God, I feel like all I ever do is cry these days," Evelyn laughed through the tears that dribbled down her cheeks. Setting the photographs down, she stood up and held out a hand to Winters. Smiling, he reached out and embraced gently and only momentarily.
"Look after Joe, and look after yourself," he murmured. "And I expect to see you at every Easy Company reunion."
"Same goes for you, sir."
"Then in that case this isn't really a goodbye," Winters decided for them both. "It's more of a I'll see you soon."
"Then I will see you soon, Sir. You can count on it."
… … …
Evelyn was once again billeted with the Joneses during Easy's short stay back in Aldbourne. Mrs Jones had been beside herself with excitement to see Evelyn and to discover that she was not only healthy and well, but married as well.
"This is truly a cause for celebration," she clapped her hands together excitedly as they sat down to eat dinner that evening. "Dear, pour us all a drink of that good whiskey you've got hidden in the cupboard."
Doing as he was bid, Mr Jones poured them all a short, apart from little Lucy who wasn't so little anymore and instead was at that funny age where a child is no longer a young child but not quite yet a teenager either.
"To Evelyn and Joe, and to a long and happy marriage," Mrs Jones beamed like a proud mother.
"To a long and happy marriage!" they chorused, chinking their glasses together.
"Eurgh, that didn't agree with me," Evelyn grimaced when the whiskey came back up in the form of acid almost as soon as she had drank it.
"Nothing agrees with you lately," Joe smirked, rubbing her back gently.
"Is something the matter, dear?" Mrs Jones inquired with a frown.
"Heartburn," Evelyn explained. "Since we got into Austria, we've been eating almost like kings and my stomach just isn't used to it. Cheese and even chocolate are just too rich for me now."
"Give it a bit of time, my dear," she smiled knowingly. "It's been a long few years of rationing and now having a little bit more, and especially a little bit more decadence, is taking a toll on a lot of us."
"Yes, I never thought the day would come when my wife would struggle to eat an entire chocolate bar in one sitting," Mr Jones muttered, ignoring the scowl he was sent.
"Anyway, dear, have a nice glass of milk and that'll help," Mrs Jones ordered gently. "Lucy, get Evelyn a drink of milk."
Jumping up, eager to help, Evelyn smiled when Lucy set down a glass on the table in front of her.
"Thanks squirt," she winked.
"Bill used to call me that," Lucy mumbled.
"I remember," Ev smiled. "When I get back I'll be sure to tell him you aint so little anymore."
"Do you think he'll remember me?"
"Are you kidding?" Evelyn exclaimed. "He's waiting for you to grow up and come visit the States. We both are."
"Are you and Joe gonna live near Bill when you go home?" Lucy asked.
"That's Corporal Liebgott to you, young lady," Mrs Jones told her daughter.
"Joe's fine, ma'am," Joe assured her, throwing a wink to Lucy. "And we haven't really decided where we're gonna be living yet. We've not seen our families in so long that we wanna spend some time with them and then make a more solid plan."
"I think it's likely we'll be settling in San Francisco where Joe's from," Evelyn decided aloud. "He's got his job there and what not, you know."
"Bill won't like that," Lucy muttered. "Especially not if you decide you're going to switch the Phillies for another team, because everyone knows the Phillies are the best."
"That's my brother," Evelyn laughed. "Indoctrinating people to follow the Phillies even on the other side of the world."
"It's terrifying," Joe scoffed.
"You can say that again," Evelyn yawned. "Sorry for yawning at the dinner table. All of this travelling is exhausting."
"Says the woman who slept for most of it," Joe sounded playful but she could see concern in his eyes, and she forced a smile to her face.
"I'm fine, honestly. Just catching up on sleep from the last few years."
"Well, why don't you go and get an early night, dear," Mrs Jones suggested. "Lucy will help me with the dishes, and I apologise that there's only one single bed in your room but we weren't expecting you to have company for the night."
"I can head back and sleep with the fellas," Joe suggested politely, even as his hand sought Evelyn's beneath the table.
"Nonsense," Mr Jones waved him off. "Wouldn't see you two separated after you've just come back from the war. There's extra quilts and blankets up there and I'm sure you've slept in worse."
The snow fell down upon them in a flurry of white in the dark night sky. Nestling up closer to George, her face in his chest, Evelyn felt her eyes grow heavy once more as George's steady breathing lulled her back to sleep once more. Even in slumber, she heard the whistle before the ground shook around them, and she was awake in an instant.
"One hell of a fucking alarm clock," George yelled down her ear, covering her with his body as shrapnel peppered their helmets.
"Medic!"
"You can say that again," she nodded.
"Do you want to come and see some kittens in the morning?" Lucy asked as the adults got up, ready to clean up and ready to go to bed.
"Don't tell me Michael Ashford's cat's had more kittens?" Evelyn pulled a face.
"No but one of his kittens is a cat now and she had kittens," Lucy explained.
"Well, I'll be sure to go and have a look with you in the morning," Evelyn promised. "Maybe we could even catch the bus into Swindon and see a movie too?"
"Oh yes!" Lucy wrapped her arms around Evelyn excitedly. "I'd love that!"
"Alright, well you help your mom with the dishes and then get an early night and I'll meet you down here bright and breezy in the morning," Evelyn ruffled her hair affectionately, wondering how it was possible she reached just beneath her chin now. "I'd offer to help with the dishes but I think your mom would hit me with that pan if I even tried."
"You know me too well," Mrs Jones grinned. "Now off to bed the pair of you. And I'll have the hot water boiled in the morning so you can have a nice bath before you go out. It might even encourage this one to clean herself as well. She's never going to find a young man when she's of courting age if she has potatoes growing behind her ears."
"Mummmm," Lucy flushed with embarrassment.
"Well it's true, Lucy. Just ask Evelyn now that she has a nice young man to share her life with. She'll want to keep herself clean and presentable just like any young woman should."
Joe glanced at Evelyn and smirked.
Her face was covered in mud and blood and grime. Her hair wasn't much better and he suspected it was going to be full of knots when she eventually took it out from the ratty bun it had been in for days. She smelled. They all smelled, but it was endearing to him that even in the middle of where they were she still felt embarrassed about the odour permeating from her body.
She was filthy rotten. She was beautiful. She was his.
… … …
The residents of Aldbourne and the men (and woman) of the 101st Airborne had come together for a party; one of celebration and one of goodbye. Vera, who had managed to come back to Aldbourne with Easy, had lent Evelyn one of her dresses (although Evelyn was embarrassed to admit that it was a little but snug on her given that Vera was so slight) and had even done her hair and make up. Feeling hesitant to walk into the party, Joe brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it.
"You look perfect," he winked, pulling her against him suddenly. With a finger beneath her chin, he lifted it so he could kiss her soundly, smiling against her mouth when she wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed him back, pressing her hips to his and licking at the seam of his lips. "Let's forget the party and go home."
"We can't," she pouted, pulling away reluctantly and wiping at her lips trying to make sure her lipstick wasn't smudged.
"Come on," Joe tried to convince her, running his hand along her waist, his thumb brushing just beneath her breast and a smirk gracing his face when he heard her slight intake of breath.
"Put her down, you don't know where she's been," George slapped a hand on Joe's back, catching sight of Evelyn and whistling appreciatively. "Looking hot, Evelina. I'm almost tempted to turn my back on Barb and take you away for a night of fun tomorrow. Then again Barb has these boobs that are just… well, that's not to say yours aren't but-"
"Shut up, Luz," Babe muttered.
"Yeah, shut up," Evelyn grinned. "And come buy me a drink before Barb comes."
"Aw, is someone jealous?" George flung an arm around her shoulder.
"Barb's more than welcome to you," she snorted.
"She doesn't want him," Martin commented as he and Bull walked past.
"It's ok, Ev," George kissed her cheek sloppily. "You'll always be my favourite girl. Let's get that drink"
Joe shook his head as he watched George drag Evelyn inside while she tried to slap away his hands which were messing up her hair. Taking another drag of his cigarette, Joe noticed Heffron watching them with an almost unreadable expression and he frowned.
"Something the matter, Heffron?" he asked, throwing his cigarette on the floor and squishing it beneath his polished boot.
"Nah," Babe shook his head. "Well, yeah. I mean, nothing's wrong but I guess I just… I wanted to talk to you about what you asked me back in Austria… when we thought we were going to the Pacific."
"About me asking you to look after Ev if something happened to me?"
"Yeah, about that," Babe smiled politely as more people began to fill in through the open doorway.
He and Joe walked away from the building slightly, the latter lighting up another cigarette as he waited for Heffron to talk about whatever was on his mind.
"Evelyn means a lot to me," he began, his voice quivering slightly before he squared his shoulders and looked Joe in the eye. "Once upon a time I think I might have even loved her, or at least thought I did anyway, but not anymore. Now she's… maybe it's the Philly thing or maybe it's 'cause of Bill but now I just look at her like a friend. Well, more than a friend but not more in the way she's more to you, you know? Just… I don't know how to describe it but anyway, what I'm trying to say is that I'll always be here to look after her. I mean, I'm not gonna wait around for you to die or anything- not that I want you to die or anything like that- 'cause I wanna get married and have kids and a life myself. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't look after Ev if you needed me too one day. Not in the way you wanted me to if something were to happen over in the Pacific, because if I'm married that would just be… well, it would be weird and not to mention wrong and-"
"Christ, Babe, you sound like you're about to give yourself a heart attack with this anxious ramble," Joe put a hand on his shoulder and smirked. "I appreciate how much you care for Ev, and I appreciate that she's always got you if she needs you. I know me and you aint always seen eye to eye, which is unsurprising given that at one point we both loved the same woman, but you're a good man and a real friend. The dame who ends up with you will be a lucky one."
"I might sow a few wild oats first," Babe grinned bashfully, holding out a hand to Liebgott. "And for what it's worth, Liebgott, I think Evelyn's a lucky one too."
"I'll tell her you said that when we go to Philly and her family are giving me shit and stressing her out," Liebgott shook Babe's hand and smiled. "Come on, I'll get you a drink and we'll see what trouble my wife and her sidekick are up to."
"I'd say not a lot given we've only been gone from them for five minutes. But then again, this is George and Ev we're talking about."
… … …
1st October, 1945
"Come on, Evelyn, don't cry. It'll only be for a short while and then we'll be coming back to the States. You'll be so busy settling back in, meeting your in-laws and arguing with Bill that you wouldn't even have time to visit us anyway."
The dock was a flurry of activity as men (and a woman) returning home to the US were preparing to board the ship that would take them back to the continent that many hadn't seen in years. For some, they hadn't seen home in years and the mood was one of joy and excitement. And while Evelyn was excited to be leaving for home too, she couldn't help being heartbroken at the fact that Eugene wasn't coming with them, choosing instead to remain in England with Vera until they had sold her house and prepared her paperwork for returning to the US with him. Her sister was engaged to be married to a rather wealthy doctor with a house and a surgery of his own, meaning that Vera felt more comfortable in leaving her alone in England for good once she was sorted and ready.
"I'll miss you, Gene," she didn't care that she was crying. "Who's gonna help me put up with these idiots confined in a tiny space for hours upon end?"
"You know Ev, sometimes you make me think you settled for the wrong guy," Liebgott smirked, reaching out to shake Doc's hand. "We gotta board, Doc, but we'll see you real soon, alright? And you look after him, Vera, otherwise Ev'll be after you."
"I'll take the very best care of him," Vera promised, reaching out to hug Joe first and Evelyn afterwards. "And you two look after yourselves as well."
"Ev don't need looking after," Leibgott smirked. "Or so she says anyway."
"I lie when I say that," she murmured, reaching out and smoothing the non existent wrinkles in Eugene's uniform as her eyes continued to pour tears. "And Gene, you've looked after me so much these past years and I… I'm so grateful to you. Who you are and what you've done and I… I don't know how I'm gonna go on not seeing you everyday. I love you, Eugene Roe, more than you'll ever know. We've all been through the same shit but for us, me and you and the other medics, we've been through things the others won't understand and… I'm just so thankful that we wound up together because I don't think I ever would have gotten through without you."
Vera burst into quiet sobs as Evelyn's words and she rubbed Eugene's back soothingly when she saw that he was clenching his jaw, trying his hardest not to succumb to tears of his own.
"You're the sister I didn't know I wanted and the friend I didn't know I needed," Eugene's voice was thick with emotion. "And this isn't goodbye, Evelyn. Not a permanent one anyway. I promise you. Besides, we've got a promise to keep to each other. Remember back at Toccoa when we promised we'd visit each other's homes?" Pulling her against him, he squeezed her hard, murmuring things into her hair in french and allowing one single tear to fall on top of her head, before he pulled back and gave her a wobbly smile. "I love you and we're bonded for life, you and I. And Joe, when she tells you she isn't sad, make her laugh anyway and when she says isn't hungry, for the love of god feed her."
"You got it, Doc," Liebgott chortled, reaching out for Ev by the hand. "Come on, you, we really gotta board or they'll go without us."
Nodding in resignation, Evelyn hugged Eugene and Vera once more quickly and then allowed Joe to lead her towards the gangplank even as tears continued to drip down her face.
For years, Eugene and the others had been her everything, and after the first goodbye she had a feeling the rest wouldn't get any easier.
… … …
Evelyn was pacing. She was pacing so much that she was giving herself a headache. They should be arriving in New York in a little over three days and so far the journey over the Atlantic had been rather uneventful. Even in such a confined space, the men were so happy to be returning home that barely any fights had broken out and most medical complaints were of motion sickness or dehydration or changing dresses from wounds that were still healing. All in all it was a mostly pleasant trip up until period cramps decided to rear their ugly heads with a deep vengeance.
"You still in pain?" Liebgott whispered.
It was the middle of the night and most of the men were asleep, leaving the walkways clear enough for Evelyn to keep moving. Constant walking and squatting and just moving seemed to help the stomach cramps a little bit. They had started in the early hours of the morning as just a little niggle but had gradually turned into the worst and most insistent period pain she had ever experienced in her life. Aspirin wasn't touching it and despite Spina's suggestion of just taking some morphine to knock herself out with, Evelyn was persevering and just praying it would stop soon.
Period cramps were a thing all of the women in her family suffered with, and compared to her sisters she usually had a lucky escape. It seemed though that her time had finally come and she was going to take it as bravely as she could. Since the miscarriage she hadn't had what she would have called a proper period, mainly just some spotting which a number of nurses had assured her was normal. Apparently now though her period was coming back properly, and with a vengeance.
"It's not too bad if I keep moving," she lied, scrunching up her face and breathing slowly through her nose as another cramp washed over her. "I think I might go and take a walk upstairs. The fresh air might help."
"Hang on then and I'll come with you," Joe swung his legs out of his bottom bunk and reached for his boots.
"No, you stay and get some sleep," she leaned down and kissed him. "George is up there somewhere so I'll find him."
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely," she nodded, her forehead pinched in pain. "I'll be back soon, alright. You just get some more sleep."
"Send someone for me if you need though," Joe yawned, and Evelyn knew he would be asleep the second he closed his eyes again.
Meandering through the sleeping and farting men, Evelyn found that she wasn't the focus of attention in the way she had been on the SS Samaria. Instead, she was barely acknowledged anymore and she was more than fine with that. Especially because it meant she could walk as far as she wanted without being disturbed.
Pausing on the stairway briefly, she bit down on her lip to stop from crying out when another pain washed over her and before realising it she was vomiting all over the floor. The cramps were unreal, like nothing she had ever felt before, radiating all through her stomach and into her back until she almost couldn't bear to stand up anymore. Maybe she should have let Joe come with her because she didn't know how she was going to make it back to her cot let alone up onto the deck to find George.
Salvation appeared though in the form of one George Luz himself, who was running down the stairs and narrowly missed the pile of vomit at Evelyn's feet.
"Evelyn?" he crouched down in front of her where she was hunched over, gripping her stomach as she fought down another wave of nausea. "Are you alright?"
"M'fine," she croaked, swallowing down saliva and desperately trying to steady her breathing as the pain built again. "Just… cramps."
"Let's get you sat down," he took her gently by the arm. "Where's that husband of yours? He know you're wandering around in this state?"
"I told him… I'd be… fine," she groaned and had to stop again to be sick.
Luz ushered Evelyn towards an open door, which happened to be a small office of some sort. Somebody had clearly been sleeping in it given the rickety cot and blankets flung in the corner, but George hoped they wouldn't mind them using it for a moment until he could make sure Evelyn was alright.
"S'just cramps," she slurred, the pain almost making her feel intoxicated. "Hate… being… a girl. I was looking… for you."
"Well, you found me, treacle," George brushed her hair back from her sweaty, pale forehead and frowned. "Let's just get you settled in here for a minute then I'll go and find Spina or someone and I-"
"I've had an accident," Evelyn gritted her teeth to get the words out.
Frowning, George saw the dark stain spreading through Evelyn's trousers and onto the cot and he hesitated only for a moment before he started to pull down her trousers, covering her with a blanket at the same time.
"We all have accidents," he tried to ease any embarrassment she might have been feeling. Although the way she was writhing and gripping onto the side of the cot for dear life told him that she cared about nothing in that moment. "You need to take your, uh, your underwear off and I'll just give you…" he rooted through the bag that slung on the floor beside the blankets and sighed in relief when he found a pair of trousers. "...Here's some pants. So I'll just go and find someone while you do and that-"
"George, something's wrong," Evelyn cried.
"I know, we'll get you sorted, Ev," he promised.
"No, George, something's… ah fuck."
The noise that came out of Evelyn was one that George had heard once before. A noise that haunted him every time he thought about sticking Georgie Junior inside the woman beneath him (or on top or on their knees, depending on their preference) without a raincover on.
"Ev, why didn't you tell me?" he asked gently, his palms sweating and his chest beginning to palpate as he had flashbacks of his mother giving birth to his little sister on the kitchen floor in the middle of the day.
"Tell you what?"
"That you were pregnant again," he answered. "That you're in labour."
"Fuck off, George," she spat, bearing down again and panting through the pain.
"Ev, I'm being serious," George's tone was frantic and he knew it.
"I'm not…" she cried out again, panic flashing across her face as she felt something. "George… help… I…Jesus fucking Christ!"
Swallowing, George knew he had to check. There was nothing else for it. With a sigh of nervous breath, he glanced up at her hesitantly, taking in the agony on her face and the clench of her jaw as she bore down and he yanked down her underwear without even asking.
"Jesus fucking Christ is right," he muttered, his eyes widening in disbelief at what he could see.
"George," Evelyn whimpered, grasping at the edge of the cot while she tried to pant through what George had heard was worse pain than a man being kicked in the goolies (not that he thought that could possibly be true. After all, if childbirth was really that painful then why did women have multiple babies?).
"It's alright, it's gonna be alright," he murmured, rubbing her leg, trying to convince himself as well as her. "I need to go and get us some help though."
"No, no," Evelyn reached for him, shaking her head. "Don't go, George. Please don't… fuck."
"Alright, alright, I'm not going," he promised, peering in between her legs again as she started to bare down once more. "I'm here and we're doing this. You're doing this; you're having a fucking baby, Ev."
"I'm not… that's not…"
Chin to chest as though she had done this before, Evelyn was pushing and pushing and George's eyes were getting wider and wider as the baby's head appeared.
"Fuck… fuck fuck…" Evelyn gritted her teeth as George grabbed one of the blankets from the floor and used it to catch the baby as it was delivered along with a lot of gunk and other stuff that would have made George sick if he had had the time to process it all.
"Goddamn it, Evelyn, you've got a baby," he laughed as the baby finally let out a small cry. "Welcome to the world, Georgina."
(So I just wanted to add a note here because I really was worried that this ending bit of the story would annoy people or something. Anyway, how Evelyn came to be having a baby without anyone, or even her, knowing she was pregnant will be explained in the next chapter briefly, but I also wanted to add that this genuinely happened to my Nan. She had a miscarriage and thought that was that but then seven and a half months later delivered another baby without knowing she was still even pregnant. So yeah, it really can happen and I hope nobody hates the idea too much)
